CHAPTER 2 HYDRAULIC FLUIDS AND RESERVOIR

Hydraulic fluids:
 The single most important material in a fluid power system is the working
fluid itself. In pneumatic applications, air is the common working fluid. In
hydraulic applications different types of hydraulic fluids are available.
 Hydraulic fluid characteristics have a crucial effect on equipment
performance and life. It is important to use clean, high-quality fluid in
order to achieve efficient hydraulic system operation.
 Most modern hydraulic fluids are complex compounds that have been
carefully prepared to meet their demanding tasks. In addition to having a
base fluid, hydraulic fluids contain special additives to provide desired
characteristics.
A hydraulic fluid has four primary functions:
 Transmit power.
 Lubricate moving parts.
 Seal clearances. Dissipate heat
To accomplish its primary functions, a hydraulic fluid should have the
following properties:
o Good lubricity
o Chemical and environmental stability
o Fire resistant
o Foam resistant
o Low density
o High degree of incompressibility
o Compatibility with system material
o Suitable viscosity
o Good heat transfer capability
o Nontoxicity
o Low volatility
o Inexpensive
o Readily available
Required Properties of Hydraulic Fluids: No single hydraulic fluid possesses
all the desirable characteristics. The system designer must select the fluid that
comes closest to being ideal overall for a particular application.
i)Good Lubricity: A lubricant is a substance that reduces friction by creating a
slippery film between two surfaces in relative motion. Lubricants permit one
surface to move easily over the other surface with low frictional force.

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When a lubricant is present between two rolling and/or sliding surfaces, a
pressurized film can be generated by the movement of the surfaces. The viscosity
and non-compressibility properties of this film separates the surfaces resulting in
no metal to metal contact.
Hydraulic fluids must have good lubricity to prevent wear to the closely fitted
working parts. Direct metal-to-metal contact is avoided by the film strength of
fluids having adequate viscosity and incompressibility.
Wear is the actual physical removal of surface material due to rubbing action
resulting from the frictional forces between mating parts. Parts that are affected
by wear include pump internals, valve spools, pistons, cylinders, rings and rod
bearings.

The condition in which surfaces are completely separated by a continuous film of

lubricating fluid is commonly referred to as hydrodynamic or full fluid film
lubrication.
Under full fluid film lubrication, the lubricant immediately adjacent to each
surface travels at the same speed and direction of each surface. Fluid speed
gradually changes across the film as it changes from the speed of the upper plate
to that of the lower plate.
Full fluid film lubrication may fail due to low lubricant viscosity, or high oil
compressibility. An increase in speed or viscosity increases oil film thickness. An
increase in load decreases oil film thickness.

v
Moving plate

Stationary plate

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ii) Chemical Stability: A substance is said to be chemically stable if it is not
particularly reactive with its environment during normal use, and retains its useful
properties on the timescale of its expected usefulness.
Hydraulic fluids are exposed to air, moisture, metals and other surfaces.
Hydraulic fluid may oxidize, decompose, polymerize, burn or explode under the
conditions of anticipated use or normal environmental conditions.
Oxidation, which is caused by a chemical reaction with oxygen from the air with
the oil particles, can seriously reduce the service life of the hydraulic fluid. Most
oxidation products are soluble in oil and are acidic in nature, which can cause
corrosion to parts throughout the system.

iii) Fire Resistance: Most hydraulic fluids will burn under certain conditions.
Flammability is defined as the ease of ignition and ability to propagate a flame.
Determination of a fluid’s flammability depends on the following:
Flash point: The temperature at which the oil surface gives off sufficient vapors
to ignite when a flame is passed over the surface.
Fire point: The temperature at which the oil will release sufficient vapor to
support combustion continuously for five seconds when a flame is passed over
the surface.
Autogenous ignition temperature: The temperature at which ignition occurs
spontaneously.
Hydraulic fluids should not initiate or support fire. A fire resistant fluid is one
that can be ignited, but will not support combustion when the ignition source is
removed.

iv) Foam Resistance: Air can become dissolved or entrained in hydraulic fluids
forming air bubbles. For example, the air at the liquid-air surface of the reservoir
can be dissolved with oil. Similarly, a small leak in the suction line can cause the
entrainment of large quantities of air from the atmosphere.
Air bubbles will greatly reduce the bulk modulus of the hydraulic fluid and affect
its viscosity. If air bubbles rise to the surface too slowly, they will be drawn to
the pump intake causing pump damage due to cavitation.
The amount of dissolved air can be greatly reduced by proper design of the
reservoir, since this is where the vast majority of air is picked up. Foam-resistant
fluids have chemical additives which break out entrained air to separate quickly
the air from the oil while it is in the reservoir.

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v) Incompressibility: The highly favorable stiffness and power-to-weight ratio
of hydraulic systems make them the frequent choice of most high-power
applications. This stiffness of a hydraulic system is directly related to the
incompressibility of the oil.
Bulk modulus is a measure of this incompressibility. The higher the bulk
modulus, the less compressible, or stiffer the fluids. A compressible fluid has a
low bulk modulus and causes sluggish operation. It cannot be used in applications
where accurate positioning or rigid holding is required.

vi) Viscosity: Viscosity is probably the single most important property of a

hydraulic fluid. It is a measure of the sluggishness with which fluid moves.
When the viscosity is low, the fluid flows easily and is thin in appearance. A
fluid that flows with difficulty has a high viscosity and is thick in appearance.
The viscosity of a given hydraulic fluid must be selected carefully. Too high
viscosity results in high resistance to flow, sluggish operation, and increased
power consumption, increased pressure drop through valves and lines and high
temperature rise.
On the other hand, too low viscosity results in increased leakage losses past seals,
excessive wear due to the breakdown of the oil film between mating moving parts.
For example, a typical sliding valve spool moves back and forth inside its body
on a thin film of oil. If this passage is under pressure, the fluid film seals it from
adjacent passage. If this film breaks, sealing will fail and metal parts will start to
rub against each other.

Hydraulic fluid types Water (3%), Mineral oils (75%), Not inflammable fluids
(9%), Biologically degradable fluids (13%), Electrorheological fluids (in
development)
i)Water: - Clear water - Water with additives
Oldest fluid but nowadays there is a renaissance. Used where there is an
explosion or fire danger or hygienic problem: Food and pharmaceutical
industry, textile industry, mining
Advantages:

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  No environmental pollution
 No disposal effort
 Cheap
 No fire or explosion danger
 Available everywhere
 4 times larger heat conduction coefficient than mineral oils
 2 times higher compression module than mineral oils
 Viscosity does not depend strongly on temperature
Disadvantages:
 Bad lubrication characteristics
 Low viscosity (problem of sealing, but has good sides: low energy losses)
 Corrosion danger
 Cavitation danger (relatively high vapour pressure)
 Limited temperature interval of applicability (freezing, evaporating)
Consequences: needs low tolerances and very good materials (plastics,
ceramics, stainless steel)  components are expensive.
ii) Mineral oil: Can be Without additives and With additives
o “Conventional” use, stationary hydraulics
o Always mixtures of different oils, often with additives
Additives:
- decrease corrosion
- increase life duration
- improve temperature dependence of viscosity
- improve particle transport
Advantages:
 Good lubrication
 High viscosity (good for sealing, bad for losses)
 Cheap
Disadvantages:
 Inflammable
 Environmental pollution

iii) Not inflammable fluids: - Can be of two types. Containing water and
containing no water.
Used in mines, airplane production, casting, rolling, where there is explosion
and fire danger
Water-oil emulsions (oil synthetic) or water-free synthetic liquids

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Disadvantages:
 Higher density, higher losses, more inclination to cavitation
 Limited operational temperature < 55 °C
 Worse lubrication characteristics, reduction of maximum load
 Worse de-aeration characteristics
 Sometimes chemically aggressive against sealing materials

iv) Biologically degradable fluids: - Can be Natural or Synthetic

o Environmental protection, water protection
o Agricultural machines
o Mobile hydraulics
Characteristics similar to mineral oils but much more expensive.
If the trend continues its usage expands, price will drop.

Changing Hydraulic Fluids:

No single hydraulic fluid possesses all the desirable characteristics. The system
designer must select the fluid that comes closest to being ideal overall for a
particular application.
Hydraulic fluids must be changed periodically, with a frequency that depends on
operating conditions. Laboratory analysis is the best method for determining
when a fluid should be changed.
Generally speaking, a fluid should be changed when its viscosity and acidity
increase due to fluid breakdown and contamination.
Preferably, the fluid should be changed while the system is at its operating
temperature. In this way, most of the impurities are in suspension and will be
drained off.
Much hydraulic fluid have been discarded due to the possibility that
contamination existed – it costs more to test the fluid than to replace it. This
situation has changed as the need to conserve hydraulic fluids has developed.
Fluid test kits that provide a quick and easy method to test hydraulic system
contamination were developed. These kits may be used on the spot to determine
whether fluid quality permits continued use. Three key quality indicators can be
evaluated: viscosity, water content and foreign particle contamination level.

Hydraulic reservoir:
A hydraulic system is closed, and the oil used is stored in a tank or reservoir to
which it is returned after use.

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The design and maintenance of the reservoir is of paramount importance for
reliable operation.
Functions of a reservoir:
 It stores the fluid as it returns from the hydraulic system, and acts as a
buffer for fluid fluctuations resulting from unequal flow displacement in
the actuators.
 It dissipates fluid heat generated by power losses in the actuators and the
control valves.
 It allows un-dispersed air (foam or bubbles) to separate out of the hydraulic
fluid.
 It permits fluid contaminants to sink, and settle on the bottom of the
reservoir out of the fluid
Reservoir construction:
The reservoir is constructed of welded steel plate, with legs to raise the tank above
ground level. This permits cooling by air circulation around all the walls and the
bottom of the tank, to give optimum heat transfer. For stationary applications, the
reservoir is usually also designed to serve as a mounting platform for the pump,
the motor, and related pressure and directional control valves
Has three lines: the pump inlet (suction line), the
return line, and the drain line.
 Inlet line has a strainer to filter out contaminants.
 The return and drain lines are for flow returning
from the system back to the reservoir.
 The return line is the main return path, while the
drain line is only for external drain lines from
pumps, valves, and motors.
 The return line typically has a filter, while the
drain line does not because drain lines must have
as little resistance as possible to keep the drain
cavities at low pressure
 The baffle plate prevents the fluid from
traveling directly from the return line to the pump inlet. It forces the fluid
to dwell in the reservoir,
 It allows time for heat to be dissipated through the reservoir walls.
 Forcing the fluid to travel a circuitous path also promotes heat exchange
by bringing it into contact with more surfaces.

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 The dwell time also allows time for entrained air to escape and for
contaminants to settle to the bottom of the tank.
 The access plates provide access to the reservoir for cleaning and
component replacement.
 The filler/breather cap allows the reservoir to be refilled with oil and also
has an air vent, which allows the entrained air to escape.
 The breather also prevents pressure or vacuum from building in the
reservoir as the oil level goes up and down.
 The breather has a filter element that prevents atmospheric contamination
from entering the reservoir.
 A reservoir typically has a fluid level indicator and a thermometer.
 Reservoirs may also have magnetic plugs at the bottom of the tank to
attract and hold iron and steel contamination particles.
 The bottom of this reservoir is sloped or dished to drain to the drain plug.
 Large cleanout plates or lids are fitted on the side of the tank to permit
access for cleaning and maintenance.
 Some smaller reservoirs are made of aluminium castings with cooling
fins.
 Such reservoirs are marketed as complete power units including the prime
mover, the pump and a system relief valve.